UK sick leave to reach epidemic proportions as Friends appears on Netflix

UK sick leave is expected to reach crisis levels in January as Friends appears on streaming service Netflix.

January is often a difficult period for UK employers as symptoms of Quality Street and prosecco withdrawal take their inevitable toll and many workers are forced to take sick leave, however with the introduction of Friends to Netflix, the frequency and duration of January sick leave is expected to increase considerably.

“It’s definitely an HR department’s our worst nightmare,” said a senior HR representative at a City insurance company.

“Friends on a streaming service? It’s going to pretty much cripple production for the first quarter.

“We see a lot of sickness in January anyway, what with people getting the shakes from missing their morning prosecco or stomach issues from eating a weirdo nut salad they got off the internet.

“But all ten series of Friends on Netflix? People are going to need at least a week off to watch all of those. We’re going to have to start bringing in temps to cover the sick leave

“Actually, we’re going to have to bring in temps to deal with the administration of sick leave.

In anticipation of the expected sick leave caused by Friends, many companies have made it clear that being ‘on a break’ is not a valid excuse for taking time off.